1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for excavating soil and other debris. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus adapted to be movable in three dimensions and rotatably displaced relative to a vertical axis to remotely excavate soil and other debris covering buried items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Excavation of soil and other debris to expose sensitive objects is a common problem in many industries, particularly when hazardous waste material is being excavated (such as buried drums) or a natural gas pipeline or fiber optic telephone cables need to be uncovered. It is a primary concern, in these events, to uncover the object without damaging it. The conventional approach typically is to excavate with a backhoe tractor or similar device until a majority of the soil and other debris has been removed. At that point, manual labor is used to remove the remaining soil around the unearthed object. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for laborers to accidentally damage the object with a shovel or similar implement before it is fully unearthed.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved apparatus for excavating buried objects which minimizes the opportunity for damage to the object being unearthed.